American Biologist Jonathan Allen found a worm wriggling in his lips and uses forceps to remove it on his own, according to Daily Mail
The 36-year old biologist served as a host to a Gongylonema pulchruma parasite which spent three long months moving around the fleshy areas of his cheeks and lips. The same parasite is usually found in livestock but Dr. Allen's case was the 13th reported case in the United States and the 60th worldwide.
Dr. Allen who is an invertebrate specialist at the College of William and Mary in Virginia first noticed the lump in his mouth while he was teaching in class in December, according to the Huffington Post. His case was published in the Journal of Tropical Medicine.
"It was in the mucosa, the fleshy part of the cheek. The first three months, it was in the back of the throat in places I could touch with my tongue,' he told the website. I could feel it with my tongue but not my finger. It wasn't until it moved to my lip that I could see it and was willing to talk to someone other than my wife and confess this was in my body", said Dr. Allen.
However, when Dr. Allen consulted with an oral surgeon and explained what he has found, saying he believes he was a host of a parasite, the surgeon failed to believe him. "He said it was a normal discoloration in my mouth and he sees it all the time." This encouraged him to deal with the problem all on his own. Together with the help of his wife, Dr. Allen was able to get rid of the parasite from his mouth using forceps. He now keeps the worm stored in a jar.
